THECOCONUTWHISPERER

 

What’s cooking today: Venison neck & guanciale potjie

By Tony Jackman• 7 September 2021

Neck of blesbok, cured cheek and lard of pig. Amazing what can go together in a potjie.

Guanciale is Italian cured pork cheek, as opposed to pancetta which is cured pork belly. Griebenschmalz is German pork schmalz (lard). Blesbok, from the Karoo near my home, has fine game meat from a buck much smaller than kudu but larger than springbuck and rhebuck. I’ve written about blesbok here and here, and have since made biltong with it too. This past weekend I used slices of neck for a substantial potjie which will feed us more than once.

Ingredients

200 g guanciale, diced

1 Tbsp griebenschmaltz

1 red onion, diced

2 large carrots, diced

2 leeks, chopped

10 to 12 juniper berries

2 bay leaves

5 or 6 blades of mace

1 Tbsp cranberry jelly

2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

¼ cup red wine vinegar

½ cup sweet Sherry

Funky Ouma Black Garlic Pink Salt, to taste

Red cabbage, shredded

1 tsp black cumin (nigella) seeds

Game stock made with roasted bones and offcuts, 2 large carrots, 2 onions, 2 celery sticks, 4 or 5 leeks, 100 g tomato paste, plenty of water, and boiled down to 1 litre

Method

Dice the guanciale, carrots, onions and leeks.

Heat a potjie over some hot coals and add 1 Tbsp griebenschmalz. When it has melted, add the diced guanciale and let it simmer until the dice of guanciale are nutty brown. Stir now and then.

Add all the diced vegetables with the bay leaves, juniper berries and mace, stir and simmer until the vegetables are softened. Stir now and then.

Add the meat, stir, and cook for 20 minutes. Stir so that all the meat is covered by the vegetables.

Pour in the game stock and add the Sherry, Worcestershire sauce, cranberry jelly and red wine vinegar. Season with Funky Ouma Garlic Pink Salt, to taste.

Cover and simmer for 2½ to 3 hours.

Serve with shredded red cabbage sautéed in 1 Tbsp griebenschmaltz with 1 tsp black cumin (nigella seeds), and season with some Funky Ouma Black Garlic Pink Salt.  (I bought my guanciale and griebenshmalz from Richard Bosman’s Quality Cured Meats.) 

https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2021-09-07-whats-cooking-today-venison-neck-guanciale-potjie/